


Rumor Has It

by Faustess



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Declarations Of Love, F/M, Gossip, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Laughter, M/M, Married James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark, Not Cheating, POV James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Press and Tabloids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:34:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29126565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faustess/pseuds/Faustess
Summary: Rhodey wakes up to find Tony reading aloud to Pepper and Steve about his (supposed) wild, playboy lifestyle and their respective roles in it. Jim Rhodes is not caffeinated enough for this kind of hilarity.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Steve Rogers
Comments: 17
Kudos: 99
Collections: Ironhusbands Bingo 2020, Tony Stark Bingo Mark IV





	Rumor Has It

**Author's Note:**

> Name of Piece: Rumor Has It  
> Card Number: TSB Card 4059; IronHusband Card #2004  
> Name of Participant: Faustess  
> Square Number: TSB: K3 - Holding Hands (fic); IHB: N3 Free Space (art); G3 -Christine Everhart (fic)  
> Rating: General  
> Pairing: IronHusbands; Pepper/Steve  
> Warning: Implied (not actual) Infidelity  
> Summary: Rhodey wakes up to find Tony reading aloud to Pepper and Steve about his (supposed) wild, playboy lifestyle and their respective roles in it. Jim Rhodes is not caffeinated enough for this kind of hilarity.

Finally giving into his alarm, Jim Rhodes reluctantly dragged himself out of bed. After pulling on a t-shirt and some old sweatpants, he wandered into the main living area of the apartment he shared with Tony, still rubbing his eyes. It wasn’t unusual for him to wake up alone in the morning. Tony kept odd hours even after all the years they’d been together.

What was unusual was the sound of Tony’s unrestrained cackling coming from the living room. _That can wait until I’ve at least_ poured _my coffee,_ he thought to himself. Jim was halfway to the coffee machine when he realized that it was empty. Under his breath, he grumbled to himself, “It’s a good thing that you’re cute, Anthony Edward Stark.”

Shaking his head and wondering how, after being together so long, Tony could still forget to save him a cup of coffee. _You’re the one who proposed, idiot. If you didn’t care then, is it that important?_ As he prepped the machine to make a fresh pot, Jim smiled to himself. He really did love Tony - even the things that amazing brain forgot or left unfinished.

Once the coffee was brewing, he moved toward the living room. As he got closer, he could hear other voices along with Tony’s. Tony’s wheezing cackle was joined by Pepper’s uncontrolled laughter – bordering on hysterical. The last belonged to Steve Rogers, who from the sound of it, might be hyperventilating.

Steve and Pepper were sharing the loveseat. Pepper had her cheek on Steve’s shoulder, their fingers linked on her lap. She held her side with her other hand. Gasping between bursts of giggling, she said, “Oh my god, Tony! I can’t breathe!”

Steve turned his head as if to kiss her on the top of her head, but his face split into a wide smile and he threw his head back laughing again, apparently remembering whatever was so funny.

Then his eyes fell on his husband, draped across an armchair reading aloud from a gossip magazine. Tony must have seen him entering the room from his peripheral vision. “Hi h-h-h-” Tony closed his eyes and tried to greet his husband without breaking down with laughter. “Hi, h-Honeybear. Latest issue of c-c-Candid came out t-today. It’s _gold_.”

Jim walked over and glanced at the cover. 

“Worried Pepper urges Rhodes – divorce him now?” His forehead creased and he glanced at Pepper, who had fully collapsed against Steve, gulping for air, then dissolving into laughter again. “What the hell is it this time?”

Tony burst into his cackling giggle. “I’m ch-cheating on you with s-s-s-Steve!” he managed to squeak out before falling out of the chair, holding his sides as he gave himself over to the fit of laughter.

Jim plucked the magazine from the chair Tony had just vacated and sat down, commandeering Tony’s half-full cup of coffee in the process. He looked across the room at Steve. “Congratulations – you totally pulled the wool over my eyes this time.”

Steve let out a loud, “HA!” and slapped the arm of the loveseat. Pepper murmured something Jim couldn’t hear, and Steve brought their clasped hands to his lips and brushed a kiss against her knuckles.

“Also, thanks Pepper… you’ve really opened my eyes to the kind of guy Tony really is,” Jim said wryly, glancing down at his wheezing husband on the floor and breaking into a broad grin. He was about to add to the merriment when he had a sudden realization. “Tones? Don’t you have that interview with Christine Everhart today? Like any minute?”

Tony let out an exaggerated sigh and started giggling again. “T-tell her I’m s-s-sick or something, Rhodey. Oh my god, that stuff is too funny!”

As if summoned by the mention of her name, Tony’s phone rang with Everhart’s picture. “Nope – you’ve put her off too many times as it is.” He handed Tony the phone, which Tony answered dutifully after clearing his throat. _Maybe the woman will leave me alone now,_ Jim thought to himself. Steve and Pepper stilled almost instantly. They’d managed to keep their relationship out of the media so far and hoped to keep it that way as long as possible.

Christine Everhart’s face appeared larger than life on the screen in front of them, with Tony front and center in front of her. “Mr. Stark! How wonderful to finally get the chance for our interview. I wasn’t sure you’d be up for it today,” her voice held a hint of professional concern.

Jim watched Tony’s face work on why she thought he wouldn’t talk to her today. “Oh? Why’s that?”

“Candid printed another article about some alleged infidelities…” Everhart explained, “some of the details are –”

“Taken out of context? I totally agree. We were just laughing about it,” Tony replied easily.

“‘We?’” she echoed.

At that, Steve and Pepper relaxed when they realized from her question that she could only see Tony from her end of the call.

Tony nodded, “Yeah – when I went downstairs to grab pastries from the coffee shop this morning, I saw it on the newsstand and I called Pepper to come over. She, Rhodey, and I have been laughing about it all morning.”

“Oh? There were some very serious allegations in that article, Mr. Stark. Is there anything you’d like to say on the record before we get to the clean water initiative you’re spearheading?” Everhart was an ambitious reporter, but Tony liked her and the articles she published were more objective than most. Jim had a grudging respect for her.

Grinning, Tony replied, “On the record? Nobody loves gossip more than we do – especially when it’s about us! How else would I be able to keep track of the frankly unlikely number of alien love children I’ve fathered or who my crush of the week is?”

“Can you be more serious, Mr. Stark? How are you going to answer these new accusations of infidelity?” If nothing else, Everhart was good at prying.

“I love my husband, Ms. Everhart. Everyone waiting for Rhodey to come back on the market can keep right on waiting.” Tony’s face grew more serious. “Rhodey’s my rock… and with what we do, the whole superhero business, I can’t take him for granted. Am I a saint? No. But the things that he has to put up with are alien invasions, evil robots, and me building a sentient toaster… and forgetting to make fresh coffee for him in the morning if I drink it all. There’s no truth to any of these rumors any more so than the ones they printed last month.”

As Tony wandered out of the room, taking his call with Everhart with him, Steve made eye contact. “Sentient toaster?”

Pepper groaned and shook her head and Jim nodded his head ruefully. “It… didn’t like to toast anything. It was a huge headache for everybody.”

Steve’s forehead creased with concern, giving him the disapproving look people gave him a hard time about. “So, what happened to it?”

“Tony built it a sentient Roomba so it’d have a friend and a way to move around. They’ve got an apartment here in the Tower,” Jim said matter-of-factly.

From Steve’s expression, it looked like he wanted to know more, but then thought better of it, responding, “Huh… okay….”

Jim downed the last of the cold coffee in Tony’s mug. “Did Tony really get pastries? Is it an impromptu brunch day? Somebody tell me what’s going on because I am starving.”

As they made their impromptu brunch plans, Jim watched Tony talking with Everhart down the hall. No reporters had ever dared ask Colonel James R. Rhodes about tabloid headlines – or how they kept their marriage together. If any did ask what the secret to he and Tony’s long-lasting relationship was, though, Jim had his answer ready.

_It works because we each think 'I'm the luckiest guy in the world' to be together._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to @SierraNovember for the beta read! :D


End file.
